poesel

As an trained, though not practicing archaeologist, it is my (non-)professional opinion that the most important of the early pra-human's inventions was a pointy stick with which he could kill larger animals and defend himself, also from other humans. There would be no leaving the African savanna without this skill (and perhaps ability to make fire). From it follows that we were natural born killers way before we became what constitutes a homo sapiens. If one feels philosophical,  an interesting question is if learning NOT to kill each other allowed us to create civilization, or if it was the ability to coerce an kill others that made bigger social structures possible...
Edit:
On a related note, 2001: A Space Odyssey is the best movie ever made  
 
 

In Irpen, the situation is easier. Yesterday there was no electricity for about 5 hours, after which there was electricity all night (I worked all night). Today the electricity was only two hours, and now after 21.00 again appeared. Fortunately, I have autonomous heating and I am independent from city boiler houses.

Despite AD shot down 51 missiles yesterday, Russians could hit some critical objects, which caused emergency halt of all nuclear power plants, except Chornobyl as well as most of thermal and hydro plants. Almost whole country in a darkness. Very tough situation in Kyiv. Since 15-00 yesterday 80 % in the city hadn't electricity, water, somewhere even gas, no heating, cell phone internet was almost dead. 
Today electricity turned on from 5-00 to 9-30 of morning and then gone again. Water apperared after 14-00. Still no heating. Internet much better, but this forum loaded only now. Very interesting quest how to heat a can of soup with dry spiritus tablet ))) -we have electric stove and it's now "out of action"
Reportedly nuclear plants have been launching to work this evening, but they can get own normal output only to next day of more. Now power grid has 50% defficite of energy

Mashovets announces a massive Russian offensive in the Kremennaya area.
The command of the enemy troops in the Svatovsky direction, realizing the high probability of a breakthrough of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to the north and south of the city, is making significant efforts to get rid of this threat.
 
In particular, over the past 2 days, the enemy command organized and tried to carry out a number of offensive / assault actions against the forward units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which approached the city of Svatovo at a fairly short distance, namely:
- by the forces of the 423rd MRR of the 4th TD of the 1st Guards. TA (up to two reinforced companies) the enemy tried to attack the forward positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the directions of Podkuychansk - Stelmakhovka and Podkuychansk - Kolomyychikha (auxiliary attack). Didn't have success...
- with the forces of the 9th MRR of the 18th Motor Rifle Division of the 11th Army Corps (up to a company), from positions in the Kuzemovka area, attacked the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Novoselovskoye area (unsuccessfully).
Obviously, the immediate goal of the enemy command and the meaning of these attacks was the enemy’s desire to push the AFU units away from the R-07 road in the Kupyansk-Svatovo section and thus secure the Svatovsky defense area from the AFU breakthrough to the north of it and, accordingly, avoid blocking the city of Svatovo from the north.
So far, the enemy has not been able to solve this problem. The tactical grouping of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, conducting active operations to the north-west of the city, rather slowly but surely, continues to gradually move in the general direction to Nizhnyaya Duvanka in two directions at once, which will obviously be able to put the enemy’s Swatovskaya group in a rather “interesting position” in case if the Armed Forces of Ukraine enter the specified area.
In addition, it is obvious that in the coming days the command of the enemy troops is preparing a more powerful series of counterattacks to the south, in the direction of Zarechny and Liman, in order to neutralize the tactical grouping of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which actually occupied a fairly convenient area northwest of Kremennaya for operations, both in the direction of Kremennaya itself, and in cooperation with the northern group in the direction of Svatovo. In fact, this group of Ukrainian troops is a kind of pistol, put to the temple of the Russian troops in Kremennaya... It is obvious that the enemy fully understands that sooner or later he will shoot... either at Kremennaya itself, or in the area of Sandy and Krasnopopovka.
 
Already today, the use of the Kreminnaya-Svatovo road by the enemy in the section between Zhitlovka and Ploshchanka is very difficult, which objectively has a very negative effect on his ability to maneuver forces and means.
That is why the Russian command in this direction “matured” a completely logical decision - to counterattack in the direction of Torskoye and Zarechnoye, as well as in the direction of Makeevka, or Nevsky and thus force the forward tactical group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which had broken through to the north close to this road, to retreat behind the Zherebets River... and thus remove the immediate threat to both the city of Kremennaya and “restore the line of defense along the river. Zherebets".

It depends what one's mean by large, probably. There are many videos with -10 people dead and several with many more than like 10+ relatively close. Ther are reports of Ukrainian soldiers descibing "slaugther field" exactly like in WWI, with corpses littering No Man's Land. Lachowski talked something like moth ago in interview he met a group of guys from 93rd that were so fed up with manning a trench sorrunded with dozens Wagner bodies lying around, they were unable to fight and needed several days at the back to recover psychically. Stress from killing (and being killed) is visibly straining defender's morale.
A clip with Ukrainian Igla operators explaining reaction times they have from spotting enemy aircraft until until it disengages: 10-15 seconds. Interesting is they try to figure out muscovites tactics by reading their manuals.
 

On 2014 Shilkas were decomissioned so far. In late 2014 the process of their returning  to service begun, but turned out they were in pretty bad conditions. Many of spare parts were absent and some of them even had been taking in Russia via third countries or with smugglers. Initially repaired Shilkas moved to separate units, which had a task to stop LDPR infantry advance untill heavy wepon arrive from withdrawal zones. But later they were included to AA-battalions of new-formed motorized infantry brigades and marines brigades. Motorized infantry brigade should have 8 Shilkas. Marines probably had only 4, but I didn't recall  now. 
In best case in pre-war four mot.inf and two marines brigades we could have at least 40 Shilkas. Might be some number were repaired and stored in reserve, but I don't know. But even theese Shilkas had disabled radars - as I know their components didn't manage to replace. Several UKR enterprises offered modernization with new radars, but all this was limited only with several specimens for demonstration. 
So, Shilkas mostly can be used only for direct optical targeting or as infantry support. Without radar it value as effective AA means is doubtful. Also we have big defficite of usual ZU-23 and barrels for them  

I'm no expert on Russian politics, but I am starting to think that we have been surprised so many times during this war already.
Maybe the war will just end with Russia being thrown out completely from Ukraine and then... as the world holds its breath... nothing much happens.
Putin just keeps his power, explains away the defeat using his state controlled propaganda outlets: It's all Nato's fault and backstabbing by the decadent West.
Many Russians will be unhappy, but then again they are pretty much used to that by now.
 

Everything we are seeing coming from the West stems from the first principle of their post WW2 grand strategy: prevention of nuclear war and today the use of WMDs in general.
I think the assumption is not that large. While not saying so exactly, the writer is concluding that those Russians with the most to gain by regime change can not overcome those that have the most to lose in the foreseeable future. The writer sees the elites as resilient in the face of a horrible war. They have no choice and are unwilling to yield their life styes to better Russia a generation from now. With WMDs and mounting Ukrainian casualties, it can't surprise too many that Milley is tapping the breaks. The West has its elites too. And even at a million to one, a nuke would upset their morning latte and investment positions. God forbid. The West can't figure out how to live without the region's grain and oil. Asking its populace to risk Armageddon is not going to fly. So Ukraine bleeds head to toe, while elites in Russia are largely OK. And those with most to gain in Russia are being hunted down and killed off at the front. They are too busy staying alive to revolt. I don't even think a successful version of Claus von Stauffenberg would matter right now. Is Putin the puppet or the puppeteer of the elites? If the West is not going to cross a self imposed red line and provide more lethal assistance, a strategy of long term conventional military pressure causing Russian society to slowly evaporate might be the only option. Both sides think time is on their side which makes for more death and destruction. The West can't budge and neither can Ukraine. 
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/case-against-negotiations-russia
From the article above:
The West should help Ukraine liberate the areas that are strategically vital to its security and economic well-being and then build up the Ukrainian military and economy to a point that deters future Russian invasions. Moscow will continue to pursue means short of invasion to undermine pro-Western Ukrainian governments and coerce Ukrainians to surrender their independence. Success for Ukraine and the West lies in turning this hot war into a cold war on terms that leave Ukraine strong enough to survive and ultimately win it. 
Been thinking along those lines for a while now. Win it without any long term term threat to day to day life in the US and the rest of western democracies. This can be achieved with the precious commodity  - time. Milley knows more than anyone outside Ukraine its manpower. Maybe that's why he seems hesitant. He know Russia is screwed but wants to leave Ukraine intact and a give it a start on rebuilding. 
 

Yeah. That half arsed, bare minimum approach is very notable.
Meanwhile, I cannot count how many times I've seen footage of Ukrainian dug-outs that are neat and tidy, have a stove, oven and, occasionally, a sauna. And all of it looking rather nice, as if straight out of a home improvement advertisement.
One of these sides will get through winter better then the other.
Uhm... courts are supposed to act neutral. It's kinda the point of them existing.
And they were not at all so shy at pointing the finger as you claim. They were very clear about exactly where the BUK came from, who did the logistics and in fact went out of their way to point that the DPR was under Russian control.
Not really sure what more you want from a criminal trial, but I like the thorough and dignified way they went about things.

Rheinmetall buys Spanish competitor Expal Systems for 1,2b€. Expal is one of the biggest ammunition manufacturer in Europe. That means that they probably can manufacture Gepard ammo themselves (outside Switzerland) in the near future.
https://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/industrie/ruestungsindustrie-rheinmetall-kauft-munitionsfirma-mehr-gepard-munition-fuer-die-ukraine/28806920.html

Rheinmetall buys Spanish competitor Expal Systems for 1,2b€. Expal is one of the biggest ammunition manufacturer in Europe. That means that they probably can manufacture Gepard ammo themselves (outside Switzerland) in the near future.
https://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/industrie/ruestungsindustrie-rheinmetall-kauft-munitionsfirma-mehr-gepard-munition-fuer-die-ukraine/28806920.html

Rheinmetall buys Spanish competitor Expal Systems for 1,2b€. Expal is one of the biggest ammunition manufacturer in Europe. That means that they probably can manufacture Gepard ammo themselves (outside Switzerland) in the near future.
https://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/industrie/ruestungsindustrie-rheinmetall-kauft-munitionsfirma-mehr-gepard-munition-fuer-die-ukraine/28806920.html

That is by far the best thing any leader could do. You can be happy to have one of those.
On the contrary, the worst leaders are those who think they know best and don't listen to others. IIRC that is basically the (or one of the) first chapter(s) in Machiavelli's book.

That is by far the best thing any leader could do. You can be happy to have one of those.
On the contrary, the worst leaders are those who think they know best and don't listen to others. IIRC that is basically the (or one of the) first chapter(s) in Machiavelli's book.

That is by far the best thing any leader could do. You can be happy to have one of those.
On the contrary, the worst leaders are those who think they know best and don't listen to others. IIRC that is basically the (or one of the) first chapter(s) in Machiavelli's book.

That is by far the best thing any leader could do. You can be happy to have one of those.
On the contrary, the worst leaders are those who think they know best and don't listen to others. IIRC that is basically the (or one of the) first chapter(s) in Machiavelli's book.

That is by far the best thing any leader could do. You can be happy to have one of those.
On the contrary, the worst leaders are those who think they know best and don't listen to others. IIRC that is basically the (or one of the) first chapter(s) in Machiavelli's book.

That is by far the best thing any leader could do. You can be happy to have one of those.
On the contrary, the worst leaders are those who think they know best and don't listen to others. IIRC that is basically the (or one of the) first chapter(s) in Machiavelli's book.

That is by far the best thing any leader could do. You can be happy to have one of those.
On the contrary, the worst leaders are those who think they know best and don't listen to others. IIRC that is basically the (or one of the) first chapter(s) in Machiavelli's book.

Well guys, at last I got this!  Symbolically in the day of Kherson liberation ) 
Thank you @Kinophile for this initiative and enough "family diplomacy" in resolving of sudden obstacle on "last mile" 😀
Thank you @Battlefront.com - Steve, your "bribe" ) will be worked out ))))
Thank you all, who donated anonymously
Thank you, all other, who just have been reading and support our country - first two months were some nervous and psychologically hard, so this my 24/7 "marathone" here was giving me some emotional relief. 
 

Some more scenes how locals meet own army
Russians see this too and in some very rare heads a sparkle appears:

Translation: Khersonians met us with protests. But AFU meet with flowers. Then for what our guys give own life?

I guess there was an agreement between Ukraine and Russia over not fighting in Kherson. If not explicit, then implicit.
Russia could have fought there, but didn't want to lose the kind of troops that could have fought.
Ukraine would have liked to fight those troops, but not in the city of Kherson.
This is, all things considered, a great victory for Ukraine.

I guess there was an agreement between Ukraine and Russia over not fighting in Kherson. If not explicit, then implicit.
Russia could have fought there, but didn't want to lose the kind of troops that could have fought.
Ukraine would have liked to fight those troops, but not in the city of Kherson.
This is, all things considered, a great victory for Ukraine.

Everyone (re) read Frank Herberts Dune - shielding led to "fast on defence - slow and deliberate on offence", I think we appear to be heading into something that is starting to look like that.
That and, in corrosive warfare "encirclement" has become remote envelopment in depth.  The effect is slower to take hold but the projected dilemma is pretty consistent.